Commons. Between Dreams and Reality

The book Commons. Between Dreams and Reality addresses how cooperation and collective actions might influence political and economic realities. At its core, it focuses on the practical life of commons and commoning practices, their factors of growth and transformative potential, as well as on the challenges and contradictions which they face. The book examines the commons in relationship with their local environment and how they can become a tool for the economic sustainability of culture. The aim is to articulate an analysis and look at how commons are addressed by institutions and communities in policy-making and everyday practices.

Its publication at the peak of a worldwide pandemic and at a time of unprecedented uncertainty allows those seeking inspiration and hope to understand that cultural commons can create a more inclusive, participatory and just world.

This book is published within the framework of the Cultural and Creative Spaces and Cities (2018—2021) project which is co-funded by the European Commission with the aim of experimenting in grassroots participatory democracy in cultural policies.

Authors and editor:

Ana Sofia Acosta Alvarado, Marcela Arreaga, Michel Bauwens, Michele Bee, Marjolein Cremer, Margherita D’Andrea, Sofia de Juan, Maria Francesca De Tullio, Sergi Frías Hernández, Pascal Gielen, Hablarenarte, Giuseppe Micciarelli, José Rodríguez, Will Ruddick, Evi Swinnen, Violante Torre, Laure-Anne Vermaercke.

Publisher: Creative Industry Košice, 2020.

Another outcome of the three year Cultural and Creative Spaces and Cities research trajectory is the publication:

Policy Analysis and Recommendations

Authors: Marjolein Cremer (Senior Advocacy Officer, European Cultural Foundation), Maria Francesca De Tullio (Postdoctoral Researcher, University of Antwerp), Pascal Gielen (Professor of Sociology of Culture & Politics, University of Antwerp), Violante Torre (Policy Officer, European Cultural Foundation)

Contributors: Marcela Arreaga (partner at Holon) and Markel Cormenzana (partner at Holon), Sergi Frías (Lab manager, CoboiLab)

Publisher: Creative Industry Košice, 2021